Westmead Dermatology Striving towards disease-free skin
In the 50th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) of the Australasian College of Dermatologist (ACD), Pablo Fernandez-Peñas chaired a session about Dermatology Hospitalists. The aim was to gather together dermatologists interested in inpatient care. Hospital dermatology has different challenges than office-based dermatology, with more acute, urgent and complex presentations, multiple comorbidities and poli-medication, and the need …
Westmead Oncodermatology is the result of the collaboration of the Department of Dermatology (DOD) at Westmead Hospital and the Skin & Cancer Foundation Australia (SCFA) at Westmead. Oncodermatology is a merge of the Oncology and Dermatology disciplines and works to improve management and research into cancers of the skin. The best source of information available …
In non-melanoma skin cancer, performing a biopsy followed by its histopathological examination is the only method for confirming clinical diagnosis of the tumour. Skin biopsy is not always safe and may lead to complications such as bleeding, wound infection, and scarring. Therefore, the development of non-invasive skin tissue sampling technique without the need for traditional …
Written by Dr Rose Liu My first month as the new dermatology research fellow has been an absolute blast, and it’s been a pleasure to work with such an amazing team! Introductions were kicked off at a gathering at Professor Fernandez-Penas’ house earlier this month, where I was blown away by a scrumptious seafood paella …
Our new reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), VivaScope® 1500 have arrived at the Department of Dermatology, Westmead Hospital this week. We are proud to be one of the few institutions in Sydney to have a RCM. The term confocal in RCM refers to the CONjugate relationship between the FOCAL planes in which the tissue sample and …
We have started 2017 in a positive note with another publication from our department accepted in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology. The title of the manuscript to lookout for is: Melanocytic lesion evolution patterns with targeted therapies and immunotherapies for advanced metastatic melanoma: an observational study. Also we have been successful in getting the SMS-FEIT …
Written by Dr Charlotte Thomas Research conducted by our team at the Skin & Cancer Foundation Australia and published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology suggests that Australian adults continue to experience sunburn. In our study, with over 650 participants, 57% had been sunburned within the previous year alone. We …
A/Prof Pablo Fernandez-Peñas participated in the Expert Forum Symposium “Critical Evaluation of Novel Therapies in Melanoma” ( in the last Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology EADV) in Vienna (September 2016). Pablo reviewed the role of BRAF and MEK inhibitors in the era of the immunotherapies. Although most authors support the use …
Breaking Barriers for People with Psoriasis WSLHD celebrated World Psoriasis Day (29th October 2016) by hosting an educational session for staff and community members. An expert panel included, the head of Westmead Hospital’s Dermatology department, Associate Professor Pablo Fernandez-Penas, Rheumatology consultant, Professor Nicholas Manolios, Clinical Psychologist, Shezi Yousaf and Psoriasis Case Manager, Shabnam Habibvand. The …
Westmead dermatology team has held a multicultural lunch on 15th of November to value and acknowledge cultural diversity that exist in our Department. Each staff members were encouraged to bring a dish that best represent their cultural backgrounds. There were a wide range of savoury food and sweets from multiple backgrounds such as Spanish, Korean, …
